Chili Cook-Off Scheduled for Jan 9th

CHILI COOK-OFF BENEFITS WEST TEXAS CENTERS FOR MHMR CHILDREN’S FUND

BIG SPRING - Cooks in the kitchen already may be planning their Christmas Day dinner – ham, red beans, cornbread - or a repeat of their Thanksgiving fare – turkey, dressing and a colorful fruit salad – but to those known as chiliheads, they are only thinking about one thing:

Stirring up a famous pot of flaming hot chili for the January 9 Fraternal Order of Eagles Eighth Annual Chili Cook-off.

Many chili cooks may be asking for new utensils for a year of stirring, grinding and frying meat. Slotted spoons, Dutch ovens, a new propane travel wagon.

“Oh, yeah, I have already hinted to my wife what I want this year,” said Landon Sturdivant. “I tend to drop hints quite often.”

“If she doesn’t come through, I already have some things picked out.”

Sturdivant enjoys traveling to chili cook-off competitions in Texas. To him, the atmosphere and the camaraderie is more fun than trying to grab first place, but his competitive streak often overtakes him when he sidles up beside another chili cook.

“I like to win – there’s no doubt about it,” Sturdivant said. “I go intending to have fun but then when you get there, it’s like, you try to do a really good job. Taking home that blue ribbon or first place trophy is pretty cool.”

His interest in chili cook-offs helped him meld two groups in which he’s heavily involved: West Texas Centers for MHMR, where he serves as Deputy Director of Operations and the Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie #3188, where he is a longtime member.

“We were having trouble finding a good way to fund the Children in Need fund several years ago and the Eagles were looking for a fund-raiser, so we thought this would be a good way to benefit both groups. It has really taken off and we get good attendance every year. But it’s always fun to get more people involved in the process. And we hope to draw in even more people this year.”

“A lot of people have never been to a chili cook-off,” Sturdivant said. “It’s just a fun way to spend a day with friends and stay warm cooking around the fire, listening to good music and never going hungry. Anyone who has ever been to one has always had a blast.”

The chili cook-off will be January 9 at the Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie #3188, 703 West 3rd Street.

Cooking starts at 8 a.m. and judging begins just before lunch at 11:30 a.m. For those who want to taste chili, it will cost $5 per person. Those entering the contest pay $10. Cooking teams are limited to two persons per team.

The Eagles raised $10,000 last year for the Children in Need Fund. “Without their help, we certainly would not be able to help as many peoples as we could,” said West Texas Centers for MHMR CEO Shelley Smith. “That fund is so necessary in helping people receive the little extras that make all the difference in successfully treating their mental illness.”

The Children in Need Fund helps children with the little extra’s they need to be successful, whether it’s to pay for a pair of cleats for participation on a soccer team or tuition for a summer camp and helps meet other financial needs of special children who are receiving services from West Texas Centers for MHMR.

The Children in Need fund is used to assist children served by West Texas Center’s 23 counties who need material items that don’t fit into a “one-fit catchall” that often is required by government organizations.

West Texas Centers for MHMR is the state-designated Mental Health Authority for 23 counties in rural West Texas. Mental Health and Mental Retardation services are provided to more than 2,000 consumers and their families each month.

For more information regarding the chili cook-off, call 432 263-0007, ext. 247.